←back to thread

4 points impendia | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.198s | source

That's a David McCullough quote, which I believe I've seen repeated by Paul Graham or otherwise on HN. I am curious if anyone has tried to put this advice into practice?

In my case, my chosen vice is the computer game Civilization 6, but the principle feels the same. It's an easy source of readily accessible pleasure, that scratches a certain itch, and which I can enjoy even when I feel tired and irritable. I've intermittently given it up for periods of time, with mixed results.

I am curious what others' experience has been?

Show context
scorpioxy ◴[] No.45601443[source]
I think about it in the following way; lifting weights is good for your body and strength but muscles grow during the recovery phase. If you don't add in recovery days, your muscles will not be happy and injury is right around the corner. From a narrow point of view of lifting/exercising, recovery is a waste of time since you can only gain if you lift. But if you don't consider recovery as part of the training itself then you're not going to last long until your body forces you to slow down.

Now consider the brain and the mind that doesn't shutdown even when you go to sleep and are supposedly physically resting. Applying the same process used for muscles is necessary. The term used if you don't do that isn't "mind injury" though, it is burn out and corresponding mental health issues("brain injury" is reserved to mean something else).

You need a way to "rest", whatever that means for you. If it's a game of Civ, then great. Reading a good book, extra great. Unfortunately while TV used to be a source of entertainment, I don't believe it is serving that purpose anymore. Why give up Civ if you enjoy it? Limit the time if you think you have better things you'd like to do.

For me, I've incorporated rest and downtime into my life after experiencing what happens when you don't. Having said that, it is still a battle some days if I'm not mindful because we're so used to being "productive" every waking second and actively discourage resting.

I also strongly encourage you try some meditation. It is very simple to do but not easy.

replies(1): >>45602785 #
1. impendia ◴[] No.45602785[source]
Thank you very much for your reply.

This might sound like a strange question, and maybe not one I can reasonably ask of anyone else. That said -- how can I determine what "rest" genuinely means for me? As opposed to what I would like it to mean?

I enjoy Civ, but that might be for the dopamine kick it delivers, so I'm not sure if it has the beneficial effects you describe. I also enjoy reading, but that feels more like lifting than recovery.

And I've indeed tried meditation, and indeed not found it easy!